Robert Arends, 6, of Vaughan, was supposed to go on a Disney cruise in Orlando Saturday but their flight was cancelled, putting their trip in jeopardy. Hundreds of flights at Pearson International Airport have been cancelled or delayed due to a storm and de-icing problems.

Matt Arends and his family are supposed to be on their way to a Disney cruise in Orlando.

Instead, they’re sitting in Pearson International Airport with no idea what happens next.

“If we don’t make it to Orlando by (Saturday), we’ve lost our entire Disney Cruise,” he said.

Arends, his wife, and their two children, 6 and 11, sat on a plane for six hours, waiting for it to be de-iced in the middle of Toronto’s largest snowstorm in five years. Eventually, they were told the plane needed to go back and get more fuel.

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Just after 1 p.m., they were told the Air Canada flight was cancelled. Air Canada has reported “major de-icing issues” at Pearson that is affecting all airlines. It’s due to a computer glitch, Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokeswoman Trish Krale said.

“There is a program in place right now to limit the number of arrivals we’re taking in for the next couple of hours, just to help us clear some of the backlog.”

De-icing woes have significantly reduced the number of planes that can be processed each hour. Add to that any delay in takeoff can lead to planes requiring more de-icing if there is any snow or ice buildup on wings. If planes are waiting too long, they sometimes need to refuel, resulting in longer delays.

Arends, who lives in Vaughan, said the airline sent them off the plane and told them not to bother calling the airline’s phone line to rebook. Air Canada’s phone lines are busy, and the airline doesn’t know when it can rebook people because they don’t know when the storm will end, Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said.

The family isn’t alone. Hundreds of flights scheduled to depart or arrive at Pearson Friday have been cancelled, causing what Arends described as chaos. Many flights scheduled to arrive at Porter Airlines have been delayed or cancelled as well.

As of 6 p.m., 881 flights in and out of Pearson had been cancelled.

One hundred ninety-six flights are preemptively cancelled Saturday, so that airport operations can deal with the backlog of flights.

“I can’t say for sure if Sunday will be affected as well, but it’s not likely,” said Pearson spokesperson Natalie Mohamed.

You can check the status of a flight leaving or arriving at Pearson here or at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport here.

Roads

Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Dave Woodford is advising people stay off the highways.

Woodford said police have all the resources available to them to clear the roads. But it’s almost impossible because of the number of collisions. The OPP has received more than 500 calls for service, more than 270 of those for collisions.

CAA says it could take as long as two hours to get a tow truck in the GTA and expects it will receive double the amount of calls it normally gets on a winter day.

TTC and GO Transit

The Toronto Transit Commission prepared for the storm by parking about half of its subway fleet in tunnels overnight, spokesman Brad Ross said. Tracks aren’t affected by snow but ice is a concern.

The real challenge has been taking buses and streetcars, which are driving on congested, slippery roads in low visibility. All TTC express buses have been pulled into regular service, and will make all stops.

Several people posted photos of disabled streetcars on Twitter Friday afternoon. Ross said people should give themselves more time to get where they’re going and be patient if the TTC is moving slow.

Wheel-Trans passengers won’t be able to use the service during the storm unless their trip is an emergency or for a medical appointment. Passengers can call 416-393-4222 to check and see if their trip is still happening.

You can check the status of all TTC disruptions on the service’s Twitter feed.

GO Transit adjusted its schedule for the storm, running as many trains and making more stops, spokesman Malon Edwards said. GO will have earlier trips Friday afternoon for people who want to go home early. Stations will also be open late for people who need a warm place to wait for a ride, Edwards said.

The City of Mississauga closed for the day. The City of Toronto says waste collection, city-operated daycare centres and recreation programs are still happening. On Friday morning, the city dispatched 900 plows and about 200 salt trucks to deal with the storm, director of transportation services Peter Noehammer said. An extreme weather alert is still in effect.

Schools

Toronto public and Catholic schools are open but buses aren’t running today. Most other school boards in the GTA are closed.

All universities and colleges have been closed since this morning, except for the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, which will close at 3 p.m., and George Brown College. Classes there are cancelled after 3 p.m., and the school will close at 6 p.m.

With files from Alex Nino Gheciu, Micah Luxen and Vanessa Lu

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